致無(wú)錫外國(guó)語(yǔ)學(xué)校老師和學(xué)生的一封信

Respected school leaders and my dear students:
    I have truly had an amazing time here at Wuxi Foreign Language School. I’ve been teaching the class on American language and culture for 2 months, and I am very pleased with the results so far. 
    The class curriculum challenges students to break outside of their “comfort zones” and encourages them to practice using the English language in a way they never have before. The class prepares students for an easy transition to the American education style, and for success in American high school. We have been reading works of American literature, studying American culture, speaking about current events, discussing philosophy, studying vocabulary, and writing weekly essays to perfect their writing ability. Much of the class is discussion based, and forces the students to constantly challenge themselves as they reach for new ways to express their opinions and ideas.
    Class participation is a very important skill to have in American high school, and the ten students in my class have been becoming more and more confident in their language ability and in their skill in voicing opinions. These skills will aid them greatly when they are studying in America.  The students in my class were quiet and shy at first, but have quickly become confident and vocal. In my opinion, they are already on their way to becoming successful American high school students. As much as this class is about language, it is also about attaining the confidence to use that language, and the necessary knowledge of a foreign education system. The students in my class were always very strong with English grammar, but I believe that they now have the confidence, speaking ability, and listening comprehension necessary for American high school, and I am extremely proud to see how much they have progressed in just two months. 
    The students, staff, and parents here at WXFLS have been incredibly welcoming and helpful. I have been able to learn much about Chinese culture and the city of Wuxi, and I look forward to being able to share the city of Boston with the students in my class.  
    Thank you for opening your school up to me, and for the hospitality of the teachers and staff here at Wuxi Foreign Language School.  

Sincerely,
Nick Walkowicz
Campus Bridge Program Director / Teacher of American Language & Culture

尊敬的校領(lǐng)導(dǎo)和親愛(ài)的同學(xué)們：
    我在無(wú)錫外國(guó)語(yǔ)學(xué)校度過(guò)了一段非常美好的時(shí)光。在這兩個(gè)月里，我在教美國(guó)語(yǔ)言與文化，到目前為止我對(duì)教學(xué)成果很滿意。
    我的課堂打破了學(xué)生一直比較被動(dòng)、安逸的狀態(tài)。它能夠鼓勵(lì)學(xué)生用自己前所未有的方法去操練運(yùn)用英語(yǔ)。這樣的課堂為學(xué)生適應(yīng)美國(guó)式教學(xué)風(fēng)格起到了很好的過(guò)渡作用，也為他們未來(lái)的成功做好了準(zhǔn)備。一直以來(lái)，我們閱讀了大量美國(guó)文學(xué)作品，學(xué)習(xí)了美國(guó)文化，探討時(shí)事，討論哲學(xué)，學(xué)習(xí)詞匯，并且每周都要寫一篇小短文來(lái)加強(qiáng)寫作能力。大部分課堂時(shí)間以討論為主，這也迫使學(xué)生不斷挑戰(zhàn)自我開(kāi)始用新的方法來(lái)表達(dá)自己的想法和觀點(diǎn)。
    在美國(guó)高中，參與課堂討論是一種非常重要的技巧。班里的11個(gè)學(xué)生已經(jīng)在語(yǔ)言能力上表現(xiàn)得越來(lái)越有自信。在表達(dá)自己想法時(shí)，能熟練地運(yùn)用各種語(yǔ)言表達(dá)技巧。這些技巧的掌握將十分有利于他們?cè)诿绹?guó)的學(xué)習(xí)。我們班的學(xué)生在我第一次給他們上課時(shí)，他們表現(xiàn)的很安靜，很害羞，現(xiàn)在已經(jīng)變得很自信，表達(dá)能力很強(qiáng)。我認(rèn)為，他們正在變得更加接近美國(guó)高中生的標(biāo)準(zhǔn)。這個(gè)課堂不僅注重語(yǔ)言訓(xùn)練，關(guān)注培養(yǎng)學(xué)生使用英語(yǔ)表達(dá)的自信心，另外還要學(xué)習(xí)有關(guān)國(guó)外教育體制的必備的知識(shí)。我們班學(xué)生一直很擅長(zhǎng)英語(yǔ)語(yǔ)法，但是現(xiàn)在他們?cè)诳谡Z(yǔ)和聽(tīng)力方面也變得很有信心。這些對(duì)于他們未來(lái)在美國(guó)高中的學(xué)習(xí)都很重要?？吹剿麄?cè)趦H僅兩個(gè)月內(nèi)取得的巨大進(jìn)步我深感自豪。
    我校的學(xué)生、教職工和家長(zhǎng)也都非常熱情，給我很多幫助。我也學(xué)到了更多的中國(guó)文化，開(kāi)始更加了解無(wú)錫。我期待著也能和我們的學(xué)生一起感受、了解波士頓。
    非常感謝我校的邀請(qǐng)，感謝我校各位教職員工對(duì)我的熱情招待！


                               美國(guó)校園橋項(xiàng)目主管兼美國(guó)語(yǔ)言與文化老師 Nick Walkowicz
                                                    2012年4月28日